Bedridden
by bearonaise
Summary: "This wasn't just any everyday girl. She was different, a good different. She was the level of wow Halley's Comet emits every 75 years." Plant Nursery Anna bumps into an unfamiliar face while on the job that she wouldn't mind becoming more familiar with. How had she not seen her around school before?
1. TPWWNT Club

After one long week of training, Anna was finally ready to start the first day of her new job at Percy's Plant Nursery as assistant cashier and nursery worker.

Mr. Percy himself had offered Anna the position. Earlier that week he watched with amusement from afar as the red head whose green eyes overflowed with wonder inspected every corner of his store. Eventually she approached the older man, slipping him a piece of paper with a shy smile. She told him it was a shame the store only had a handful of customers. Percy couldn't help but fall in love with her sincere nature.

The store's appearance stood out to Anna while job-hunting that weekend. It was a warehouse, rusty, and worn down with age. Gargantuan windows surrounded the meek door on both sides. The windows, garnished with plaid curtains, disallowed anyone to peep inside. But unlike other suspicious pedestrians, she wasn't one to judge a book by its cover. Once inside it felt like she had stepped into a totally different world—a world that consisted of sparkling pine wood floors and an exuberant display of flowers she didn't even know existed.

_This had to be the modern Garden of Eden_, Anna thought to herself.

The new employee was now decked out head to toe in a Percy's Petals attire—green and white short sleeve polo beneath a pair of faded navy overalls, with matching boots, of course. "Nametag, check!" Grinning with pride, Anna adjusted the small sliver of plastic on her shirt, the letters spelling out 'ANNA' in capital letters. She wasn't too fond of her last name, so she ecstatic when Mr. Percy complied to leaving it off.

Anna never had her own name tag before working here. But upon her admittance into the club known as The People Who Wear Name Tags, she couldn't help but feel that name tags were the greatest symbol of status. She couldn't wait to see the look on Kristoff's face.

_Now where did I put that thing?_

Her eyes scanned the room, scurrilously looking for her favorite— "Hey, carrot top!"

Anna's eyebushes burrowed inwards as she tilted her head towards the person responsible for cutting her off. She could recognize that voice anywhere. Leaning against the door frame of the entrance, stood the floppy blonde mop of hair in all its glory. "Kristoff, hi! What are you doing here?" A trick question, she knew exactly what her childhood friend was doing here. But somewhere deep, deep down she still clung on to hope.

"Just stopping in to buy some carrots for Sven." And with that statement her hope deflated like a half-way full balloon.

"Relax, relax," he began searching the shelves for any sign of the orange vegetables, "I won't feed you to him, so ease up on the eyebrows, _eyebrows_." Anna knew he was only teasing, but that didn't make her any less sensitive about the caterpillars resting on her forehead.

Kristoff eyed the flowers enveloping the walls of the room curiously. "I'm guessing you're all out?" He looked disappointed.

"Kristoff, you know this is a plant _nursery_ right? How many times do I have to explain this; we don't sell whole vegetables, only flowers and seeds." She stated with a-matter-of-fact attitude. "Trust me, I have a name tag."

Kristoff's thoughts were now elsewhere, a look of heartbreak plastered over his face. Anna began pushing him towards the doorway, his soul too crushed to bother fighting back. "Sven is a dog Kristoff, he should be able to handle it!" She gave the boy one final shove sending him flying backwards through the entrance, a look of satisfaction plastered on her face from having managed the feat.

Well, that was before she heard a loud yelp that made her insides drop like a sack of fertilizer.

Uh oh.

The giant blonde quickly lifted himself off the poor victim, slurring his words in incompressible 'sorrys' and 'my bads' before realizing the girl still lay on the ground unable to get up. With an apologetic look, Kristoff turned to face Anna, his brown puppy eyes practically oozing 'sorry I just butt-crushed the first customer you've probably had all day' before turning back to apologize to the injured girl again. "Her knee, it's bleeding!"

"One second, I'll get the First-Aid!"

After disappearing into a storage closest for a few minutes, Anna ran back and shoved Kristoff to the side (Anna, a person who reflects on her mistakes), dropping down to her knees before popping open the lid of the box and frantically digging for the Neosporin.

Then came the word vomit.

"Don't worry ma'am, I've got this allll covered. Boy, you should have _seen_ the time I scraped my arm against one of our rose bushes, _those things don't mess around you know_, my least favorite flower really! I don't care for the underlying meaning because Valentine's day is pretty dumb if you ask me, who do boys they think they are, _love_ experts? And how is something with so many thorns supposed to really represent love anyways? I mean, _oh gosh._ Unless it's not silly and you actually came here to buy some roses, which is totally not silly! In fact roses are half off by the way off since they're in season and—" she paused to vocally rejoice at the sight of the yellow tube, clutching it in her hands.

Getting a good look at the girl's face for the first time, Anna paused again. But for a totally different reason.

_Oh, wow. Is that natural?  
_

Attractive was an understatement. The girl sitting before her in the doorway was very,_ very_ good looking. Although slender and fragile, there was a certain air about her. If someone had told Anna the girl were royalty she would have blindly believed it. But what stood out to Anna the most was the girl's hair. The girl's platinum locks were tied back into an unexpectedly sloppy bun. But it didn't deter from her overall appearance. In fact, it was kind of... _cute_.

Anna took it back, double wow_. _This wasn't just any everyday girl. She was different, a_ good _different_. _She was the level of wow Halley's Comet emits every 75 years_._

But the baseball cap sitting on top of the girl's sleek head of hair demanded Anna's full attention. Upon closer inspection Anna noticed it had her own school's colors. Trapped in thought, the busy red head didn't notice the blush slowly creeping across the girl's cheeks, slightly embarrassed by Anna's unwavering gaze. The platinum blonde began fiddling with the buttons on her white cardigan, wrapping the article of clothing tighter around her body.

Then, what Anna had intended to be a casual question, ended up coming out more of a yell in her spur of excitement."Your hat! You go to Arendelle High?"

The girl's eyes widened, shocked by the sudden outburst. Kristoff snatched the tube of Neosporin from Anna's hands before dragging the First-Aid kit into his lap. "Are you gonna help her or what? She's in pain!"

Oh yeah. Kristoff was still here. _Riiight_. Now she felt weird.

Tucking away an invisible lock of hair behind her ear Anna averted her gaze to the wooden floors, now even more aware of the girl sitting across from her than before. "I was just... thinking about how to apply it, is all."

Kristoff sighed, shooting her a smug look. "Where, her face?" This bought Kristoff a solid punch to the arm. Poking out her tongue, Kristoff mirrored her.

The girl stared back at both of them, still a bit tense from the red head's sudden outburst. "You two sure do get along."

"_Do not_!"

Elsa smiled warmly at the pair, pulling the hat snug against her scalp in a feeble attempt to hide her face. "I apologize. My name's Elsa."

_Gosh, what a pretty name! __Elsa, huh. But__… why does it feel so strangely __familiar?  
_

Anna shrugged. Probably just being weird again. Then she remembered she had yet to say anything back. "Oh, No worries!" she waved giddily, flashing Elsa a pair of pearly whites. "Don't worry about it really, this guy's always crushing people under that big butt of his. Big butt is Kristoff by the way," he grunted in response, "and I'm Anna! I don't think I have a big butt, so you should be safe around me."

Elsa nodded at the pair, her smile faded into a more solemn expression. "I used to attend Arendelle, but I'm home-schooled now."

"Wait, you mean like the stay at home all day and study by yourself kinda home-schooled?" Anna blurted.

_Well duh, that's the only kind of home-schooled, idiot._

Elsa didn't take mind to the question and simply nodded. "Yes, actually…" she ducked her head down, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm at Southern Isles." Kristoff, finally having managed to find a suitable band-aid, applied it to her kneecap. "Wait, wait. The_ hospital_ Southern Isles?" Elsa's head sank lower into her chest.

Anna was exceedingly more stunned at this revelation than her friend, Kristoff only managing to slip out a quiet '_oh_' before the two exchanged glances. She was more than familiar with the hospital. It was where her foster dad worked.

Southern Isles only took the sickest of the sick.

But Elsa, she was_ here_, outside around people. So she couldn't be _super_ sick, right? Anna broke the awkward silence. "Is someone you know in the hospital? Are they okay? _Are you okay_?" Elsa laughed lightly at Anna's animated questions, shaking her head. "No, no." she tilted her head up to meet Anna's quizzical gaze with an unreadable expression.

"It's me. I'm sick, well rather, I've been sick. For some time now."


	2. The Cookie Man

"Come on Anna, don't you think you're obsessing over this a little too much?" Kristoff exclaimed, pushing his way through the loud after-school sea of students that filled the hallways of Arendelle High. Anna clung onto the cords of his backpack as if they were her only lifeline. With this traffic, it might as well been called Arendelle Sigh or Arendelle 'You're Gonna Die'. Anna snorted internally at her own jokes. After surviving the wave of horror, the pair settled themselves into a shove-free clearing besides the teachers' lounge.

This gave Anna time to regain her composure before stuffing her nose up at the blonde. "I have no earthly idea what you're talking about."

Kristoff cast Anna a cheeky look. "Oh, please. Ever since you shoved me into that girl—"

"Elsa."

Kristoff blinked, "This, Elsa girl." Anna nodded her head in confirmation. "Anna, you've been interviewing teachers about this girl left and right. It's been 3 years since she left. Don't you think that's a little too much digging?" A sly grin crept across his face, "Even for you?"

Once Kristoff had left Anna alone with Elsa in search of bigger, brighter, more carrot filled horizons, things had gotten a little awkward. But what else would Anna expect? She was a ticking bomb full of words just waiting to go off.

But Elsa on the other hand... Elsa had been so chill. The girl spoke very little, which wasn't a problem at all considering Anna spoke enough for three people combined. Turns out the fluent mumbler was a regular customer of Mr. Percy's. It wasn't long until Mr. Percy himself hobbled in and caught air of the situation, earnestly offering Elsa a bouquet of flowers free of charge in exchange for her injured knee, and of course Elsa politely refused. But Mr. Percy had his way in the end. Over time, Elsa's absence from the store left Anna feeling oddly empty. She hadn't gotten to hear about why Elsa was in Southern Isles, nor did she get the chance to ask when she might return.

She was bound to come back though, right?

This question bore trails around Anna's head, leaving her feeling unsteady for some reason. She decided she wanted to see her again, just to make sure she's okay. And if she was sick, like, seriously sick, that made Anna even more nervous. So the determined redhead set out on her own not-so-top-secret mission.

The idea didn't seem _too_ impossible at first. Once home she did some research, and by midnight she had compiled a substantial list of teachers who taught the seniors while they were still freshmen. It wasn't until Anna had approached more than half of the teacher's listed that the reality of the situation started to kick in. No one seemed to know anything about a girl named Elsa. Regardless, Anna was determined to find at least one teacher who knew something about her, and she wasn't a force to be reckoned with when it came to digging up dirt. Kristoff's flop of a joke was right, that was her job, and boy was she good at it.

"Oh _ha_ _ha_, keep the gardening puns coming dude! Jokes on you because you know what! I actually like them."

"Oh really?" Kristoff teased.

Anna crossed her arms in a huff, "Yeah, really! And you're in luck Kristoff 'cus today is the day I'm not asking any old teacher about Elsa."

Kristoff exhaled, a look of relief washing out any traces of the stress he had for the past few days. "Oh thank god."

"I'm asking Mr. Merlin," she flaunted.

"Wait what." Kristoff stared in disbelief, "No way. Nuh uh, I'm not buyin' it. You mean that coo-coo crazy science grandpa with the beard for days? Just how _desperate_ are you?"

"I think it's a pretty '_hip'_ beard if I do say so myself."

If Kristoff was shocked before, he was practically peeing his pants right about now. "Mr. Merlin, h-hey!" Kristoff stammered, "We were just talking about you! All good things, all good things."

* * *

Anna couldn't quite comprehend how she ended up sharing a table with the rumored most insane chemistry teacher inside the whole school, yet here she was. Alone and Kristoff-less inside the private teachers lounge, sitting right across from said maniac as he helped himself to a bag of Oreos. A teacher really ought to inform the janitor about the leaks in the ceiling, but apparently someone deemed it fit to handle the situation with an array of buckets instead. This crowned the table as the only trip-safe area in the entire, claustrophobic room. Jeez, no wonder teachers rarely came in here.

Kristoff fled the scene as soon as Merlin had arrived, casting glances at his watch before making up some half-assed excuse about having to get home and walk Sven. Typically he stuck around while she interviewed the teachers, so this was the first time she had ever been one on one with a teacher by herself. So far she much preferred the company of a mysterious hospital patient.

_Kristoff, you can kiss your chocolate Snack Pack's goodbye for the rest of the year._

Anna fiddled with her hands inside her lap, slouching over and trying her best to avoid chewing off her fingernails, a bad habit.

The white bearded man peered at Anna behind a pair of gray spectacles, happily munching away. "Right to it, then! What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Miss Weselton?" The man's voice was hoarse with age, yet it held a childishly playful tone. Meanwhile, Anna was distracted by Merlin's beard, captivated by his never-ending chin of hair. The long strands were curled up in ball in his lap, reminding her of McDonald's swirled ice cream cones.

Her stomach growled.

"Miss Weselton?" Anna snapped out of her ice cream filled trance. "Oh, right! Um!" She partially gave into the urge of playing with her fingernails, and started plucking away at her cuticles. "I prefer Klaus. Weselton's in the school library information thing," her mouth was starting to get dry, "but I like Klaus better!"

She cleared her throat. "If that's okay with you, professor, sir." She cast glances between him and tempting bag of cookies.

Merlin nodded at her, taking in the new information while stroking his beard. "Alrighty, then. Miss Klaus, eh. I like it!" He threw a finger up into the air. Something about him made you question whether he was high or just an exceedingly loopy old bat. "Now this wouldn't happen to be about your grades, would it? If so you're doing quite well at the moment, I see no reason for you to be worried."

"Oh, no!" she paused for a moment to internally bask in the fact that her grades weren't in the gutter. "It's uh, it's kind of weird question, actually."

He chuckled, peeling apart a cookie before bringing up a knife to scrape off the icing, "I think I can handle a little weird." His bushy mustache followed the curl of the smile stretching across his rosy cheeks. Anna tilted her head in awe. He was totally different from how the kid's she overheard at lunch had described him.

Might as well get this over with and look for the next teacher. "Do you remember a girl named Elsa?"

A hint of curiosity gleamed in his eyes. "Elsa, why yes! I do remember a girl who went by that name," he stared off into space, his eyes searching the room as if recalling fond memories. Anna gaped. The blonde she had met in the plant nursery wasn't a school ghost after all.

"Y-you do? I mean, wow, you do!"

He brought another Oreo to his mouth. "Though, if I recall correctly, she left around three years ago. Did you meet her, per chance?" Anna nodded rigorously. "Ah, I see! And how is she doing?"

"Shes..." Anna slowly sunk back into her chair, "really sick I think." The sullen look on her face mimicked the dullness of the poorly lit room.

"Tell me something I don't know. Sick, yes, but she was one of a kind that girl, always attending the schools sports or club events. A true heart of gold. Grades of gold, too. The top of her class, though she was inexplicably shy. I never could have asked for a better student," he chuckled fondly, "but she had always been missing school due to her condition. Soon her absences became too frequent and of course, soon, she had to go."

Anna hung on to Merlin's words as if they were a Hershey's chocolate commercial and they just came out with a new flavor. "Condition? What condition?"

Merlin stared back at her through his baggy eyes, "Is that all you wanted to ask me about, Miss Klaus? Don't you think it would be more suitable for you to ask her these things yourself?"

"Well I–" Merlin cut Anna off by the wave of his hand. "Now now, if that's all you had to say, I have a game of Dungeons and Dragons to get to. It's vital I be there for the club you see. Last time I didn't show up Sir Kay almost shoved one of the board pieces down Arthur's throat." He stood up from his chair, taking one last bite out of a cookie. "Boshys, honeshchly."

He turned to face Anna before leaving the lounge. "I'm sure Elsa would be overjoyed to see you again, Miss Klaus." He gave her an award-winning chocolate-stained smile before tossing her what was left of the bag of Oreos, "You're quite the company."

* * *

_Well that was different._

All of the times Kristoff had forced her to participate in a game of catch as kids had finally bore fruit. A delicious, sugary chocolate cookie icing-filled fruit. Anna dug into the bag of Oreos, the lopsided bench cupping her bottom as she sat crisscross, waiting for the familiar sounds of the bus. The bag emptied as she fervently stuffed her face, scrunching her eyebrows as she mulled back over the conversation between her and Mr. Merlin.

The kooky old cookie man had a point.

If Elsa couldn't come to Percy's, what was stopping her from going to see her? As much fun as she was having investigating, interviewing every teacher in the school wouldn't get her any closer to Elsa.

A loud exhale of smoke filled the afternoon air as Anna looked up to see a sign flashing the words 'DOWNTOWN ARENDELLE — Percy's Plants' blinking across the bus coming towards her. It came to a slow, screeching stop. Patting her back pocket, Anna pulled out her bus pass and walked up to the doors, the refreshingly cool air filling her with life as she took a step inside.

Anna decided she was going to Southern Isles.


	3. Cardowhowhat?

"Is an Anna here?"

Anna's head lulled, plummeting for a split second before bouncing back up in confused daze. She inhaled deeply, casting a glance at the clock and realizing that she had in fact, fallen asleep. Next to her in the bustling waiting room lay Kristoff, snoozing away, his large hulk of a body consuming two seats. He pulled his beanie over his face to try and block out the fluorescent lighting that poured down from the high ceilings inside Southern Isles Hospital.

A woman's voice called out once more, "Anna? Anna Weselton?"

Before Anna had time to ring out a 'here!' she received a swift kick to her arm.

"Dude, I'm awake!"

"I know."

Whoever controlled the thermostat in the hospital was insane. Stealing Kristoff's jacket, Anna went to meet the woman behind the front desk; she looked as indifferent as she sounded, glaring back at Anna from behind the computer screen. "I'm sorry to inform you that the person with whom you're trying to visit is not available for today. Would you like to check back with us on a later date?"

"Not available?" Anna felt her heart drop, "But she's here, right? Elsa's here?" She asked, her voice full of desperation. The face of the woman avoided Anna's increasingly more frustrated gaze. The combination of the putrid smells, frigid temperature, ticking noises, and flickering lights had finally gotten to Anna, and she was now beginning to verge on the edge of 'hissy fit' mode.

"I'm sorry for yelling, but we've been here for hours!" she exclaimed, throwing out her arms for emphasis. "My dad works here, for crying out loud!"

That was the ticket. The woman's eyes widened in horror before she began tapping away against the keyboard. She audibly gasped.

"Oh my, you are– Miss Weselton, of course! I'm so sorry ma'am, I didn't realize," her hand lunged for the phone on the desk and she dialed a number before walking away. She returned a few minutes later forcing a smile. "Room 218, Miss Weselton. Second floor, eighteenth door on the right. Now you can't stay for long, but I'll get you a nurse and–" Before she could finish, Anna was already in the elevator, punching in the button that would carry her to the second floor.

After what felt like hours of waiting, she was finally going to see her. Anna spent the rest of the week meticulously planning how to convince Kristoff to drive her to the hospital on a Saturday morning, and what felt like nearly a billion doorbell rings (Anna took great pride in her button pushing abilities) and a couple of free slushy coupons later, they were lounging around in waiting room hell.

Wandering through the eerily empty hallway, her legs paused in front of the door she was looking for. This was it, there was no mistaking it, Room 218. She felt her pulse quicken and her confidence falter.

_Oh no, what if Elsa thinks I'm creepy? Oh god, I am creepy. This is totally creepy._ Anna grabbed a handful of hair and began pacing in front of the doorway. _Nonono you met her, you talked!_

After calming herself down, she directed her attention back to the doorknob. She came all this way, she dragged Kristoff into this. It was now or never!

She hesitated, taking a deep breath before rapping her hand against the door and calling out in a singsong voice, "Elsa? Are you in there? I brought you some flowers!" She jiggled the handle, and to her surprise, the door opened.

_Wow_, _that's a first_.

Anna's teeth chattered as she furiously rubbed her arms, the air in the room turning out to be much colder than the rest of the hospital. For once in her life she was thankful for Kristoff and his tacky taste in over sized rugs for jackets. Noting the bathroom to her right, she walked into a clearing, and finally, after a week of waiting—she saw her_._

A white blanket was pulled up to her waist, as she lay on the bed, asleep. Her arms resting prim and proper above her abdomen, hands rising and falling with the slow rhythm of her breathing. This time her platinum mane fell over her shoulders in wavy, unkempt curls. Whether it was the below freezing temperature or the sheer shock of seeing Elsa's face again that caused Anna's legs to lock up, she would never know. But what she did know, was that despite the unsettling amount of cords dangling off the girl's pale, dainty arms, she looked just as captivating as the first time she had seen her, if not more.

"I thought I was quite clear with the front desk that we wouldn't be taking any visitors today."

A tall auburn headed man entered the room sporting dashing white lab coat that looked as if he were born to wear it. Brain dead, Anna didn't know who to ogle at anymore.

His words flew through one ear and out the other as Anna spied the name tag pinned to his tie. "Wow, yours is metal!" she oohed, "I've been trying to get my boss to give me a real one for the past month." She waved the bouquet she brought for Elsa in one hand, thinking the action might somehow imply she was old enough to be employed.

He cast her a look of superiority. "So you're the cause of my allergies." He pointed to the flowers lining the window seal, casting her a deadpan look. His voice was modulated, serious. The complete opposite of Anna's. She shuffled her feet, unsure how to react.

After a prolonged pause the man erupted into a sudden fit of laughter, indifferent to the girl sleeping in the room. "Sorry, sorry, don't look so serious, I was only joking! The flowers are lovely." Anna stifled back a nervous laugh, unsure how to react in this situation. Two attractive people in one room was too much for her poor heart to handle. "Elsa!" he shouted, "I know you're awake, how about greeting the beautiful guest who came all this way to see you."

Anna blushed under the unexpected compliment, tucking away a familiar strand of hair behind her ear.

_Beautiful… wait, _"_–_she's awake?"

The face of the girl who had been resting like a baby doll before, was now hidden behind a pillow, her arms squeezing it tighter towards her as Anna focused her attention on her. The doctor laughed as if her behavior were nothing new. "I'll be out around the hall, just ask a nurse for Hans you need me." He slid past Anna, patting his hand against her shoulder.

Here they were, alone again. The room felt warmer than she thought. An awkward silence crept through the icy air before Anna was forced to make a move, Elsa didn't seem to be budging anytime soon.

"That guy sure doesn't hold back huh," Anna jested. More silence. "So is Hans your doctor?" Elsa nodded shyly behind the pillow.

"I thought so, but just wanted to make sure, in case I come back again! That'd be kinda embarrassing if I walked in all like 'Hey, how's Elsa!' and he would be like 'Elsa who? I'm not her doctor, who the heck are you!' and I'd be like 'Whaaat.' and then I'd have to go all the way back to the front desk to get permission from your real doctor—wait, I know your room number! Never mind I wouldn't have to go back to the front desk, my dad works here actually so maybe next time I'll just—" Anna caught her breath. Stop it oh my god you're rambling. "Well guess who brought your favorite flowers!" Anna chimed, rapidly changing the subject due to the lost look on the blonde's face.

Her body found its way into one of the two inviting chairs near the window, white clam shells to the elegant dresser pearled in between and light blue curtains adding to the wintry vibe of the room. The place must have undergone alterations, it was entirely convincing as a bedroom.

Elsa peeped her eyes up from behind the pillow, "You... remembered?"

Anna grinned ecstatically, placing the flowers next to their twins alongside the window. "Columbines, right? It's always good to remember your customer's favorites in case they come back again y'know. Speaking of, you never came back!"

"Back?"

"To Percy's, you said you'd come back!"

"Oh."

"Well," Anna leaned forward in her chair, "how come?"

Elsa's shoulders sunk inwards, her eyes trained on the doorway as if a monster would pop out into the room at any given moment. "It's complicated."

Like a child wishing on flower petals, Anna felt her confidence being plucked away, yet something in her was compelled to press forward. "Doooo... you wanna talk about it, maybe?" Anna probed.

The girl flopped her head back into the protection of her pillow.

_Cute... cute? How was that so unbelievably cute. _

"I didn't want you to see me like this," Elsa sighed. Wait, back it up. Bad. Real bad. She sounded upset, tired, and underneath it all, scared. This left Anna feeling puzzled, she didn't think she had done anything to frighten her, although showing up out of nowhere at a completely random time and her babbling could have done the trick, the later had scared babies before. Fiddling with her braids, Anna began thinking of ways in which she could apologize for barging in without Elsa hating her for the rest of her life.

"…Cardiac dysrhythmia," Elsa muttered shakily under her breath.

Anna blinked, "Cardowhowhat?"

Seconds, minutes, hours, it didn't matter how long. All that mattered was that Elsa, the shy, mysterious, stunning blonde home-schooled girl she had been aching to know more about since the day they met was talking to her. Nothing else in the world was around them for all Anna cared. Despite the shaky start it was nothing like the typical, short kind of conversations they previously held with one another, but a real conversation where they both equally craved to know more about the other. There was no helping the obvious word vomit that consistently flowed from Anna's never ending fountain of a mouth, but it complimented Elsa's tendency to sell her sentences short, incredibly well.

By the time the sun had painted the walls of the room an orange hue, Anna knew more things about Elsa than ever imaginable. Like how her case of cardio, cardigan—_oh, whatever,_ was called Long QT Syndrome. A condition where Elsa's heartbeat was a bit slower than it was supposed to. Naïve, Anna thought it sounded like some sort of cool heart super power, but quickly learned that being able to die at any given moment without medicine or a pacemaker was most definitely _not_ cool, and even more definitely _not_ a super power she would want Elsa to have, nor anyone to have for that matter. Her favorite possession was her snowman plush named Olaf that she's had for as long as she can remember, and Anna couldn't avoid staring as her radiant, crystal blue eyes (seriously, how had she not noticed them before) shimmered with warmth every time she spoke of him. However, Anna's favorite and least heart-wrenching tidbit of information was that Elsa hid a stash of marshmallows underneath her bed.

"I do the same thing, but with chocolate!"

"Chocolate? I… I love chocolate!"

This friendship was headed in the best direction.

Anna gasped, "Maybe you can come over and we could do s'mores one day, and oh gosh, you can bring Olaf, and I'll invite Kristoff and Sven. Mr. Percy too!"

A buzz vibrated against Anna's back pocket and soon a catchy chip tune was filling the room with noise, and filling Anna with an overwhelming amount of embarrassment. "Oh, crap_–_ one second," A blush crept across Anna's face as she fumbled for her cellphone.

_(4) Missed Calls – Kristoaf_

Anna smacked herself on the forehead. She completely forgot.

"Something important?" Elsa inquired. Her posture had shifted significantly since this morning; she seemed to be a bit more relaxed around Anna, although it easily could have been her own wishful thinking.

Gawking, Anna looked at the time. "I'm super sorry Els, but I gotta go!" Anna padded across the floor, pulling Elsa in for a hurried hug before darting towards the hallway. She came to a standstill at the bathroom door before spinning back around to poke her head around the corner, and before she could open her mouth Elsa was one step ahead. "I'll ask Hans."

Anna was beaming. "Great, awesome," she fought back the urge to run up and give Elsa another hug, "see you at Percy's then!"

It was too dark for Anna to see the shade of red tinting Elsa's cheeks before she left.

Anna was too distracted to see Hans standing near the doorway as she scrambled towards the elevator to meet her friend.

* * *

**Hi, bearonaise here! **

**Thanks for sticking with the story so far. This is my first time writing something like this, so I'm pretty nervous, but still excited! ****I'll most likely edit the heck out of these first few chapters until I'm finally happy with them, I desperately wanted to update twice this week since I was too busy visiting a friend last week to write anything.**

**I love flowers with all my heart and plan on getting my own job at a plant nursery in the near future, so a bunch of Anna's experiences working in the store will most likely be based off many of my own. **

**Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Orphans

Anna didn't know what to expect when she took the elevator down to the lobby.

She was well aware that she had ditched Kristoff and she knew he was going to be more than upset, _who in their right mind wouldn't be after being abandoned for 7 hours, _but the last thing she anticipated from the blonde was a stern lecture regarding her actions—a lecture that would point out every single terrible thing that could have happened to her for visiting a stranger in a hospital whom she had talked to _once_. He seemed to stress that number at every given opportunity.

She had almost forgotten how big of a news geek her friend was during the whole fiasco. It was impossible to let a word out as the boy spilled story after story of the all missing people he had seen on the station over the years.

_He kinda has a point_, she thought, _but_ _what in the world did he think Elsa was gonna do, smack her with an IV cord?_

The smug redhead refrained from any jokes about actually being assaulted by a handicapped hospital patient in fear of him actually placing a restraining order on the girl.

Winching, she struggled to adjust to the change in lighting as they walked out of the luminescent glow of the hospital and towards the deserted parking lot. The still air provoked a sudden feeling of grogginess, and she had only begun to realize how much her jaw ached from her previous day-long conversation with her new friend.

Her heart fluttered.

_Friend_, Anna smiled stupidly amidst Kristoff's ceaseless bantering, _Elsa was her friend_.

Dying street lights clung on to dear life as they fought against their natural cycle in order to keep the roads from sinking into a darkness as black and infinite as the night sky's. Stars didn't seem to exist here. But that didn't stop Anna's ever-curious teal eyes from skimming the dim void, looking for something, anything to distract her from the stutters of Kristoff's rickety old pickup truck, as well as her friend's ongoing presidential address. The blonde had a habit of driving in circles around her neighborhood until he was satisfied with what he had to say. She could only make out bits and pieces of against the soft lull of the radio.

"_Dangerous... she's a stranger… don't trust… doctors… work for your dad… saw on the news..._"

Anna yawned, slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Huh?" Anna managed to let out. Her freckled cheeks were resting against her palm, accentuating the puff of her sleepy pout, mind halfheartedly battling against the weight of her eyelids. Oh, right. Still talking about the hospital_. _"Elsa's not a stranger Kristoff, she'd never hurt me," she muffled as she smacked her lips, Kristoff rolling his eyes as they watched the familiar row of suburban style houses go by.

The truck finally came to a standstill in Anna's driveway. Kristoff, loosening his grip on the steering wheel which he could have crushed into a fine powder with how frustrated he was if he so pleased, turned the key out of ignition and focused on her with a look of utmost sincerity.

"Look, Anna, I'm not trying to make you mad at me, that's the last thing I'd ever want, but you've never…" he paused, carefully considering his words, "had the _best_ judgment before. I'm just asking for you to be more careful around this girl. I know it's been hard for you to make friends ever since—" he couldn't find it in himself to finish his sentence. It was difficult to tell in the dark of the vehicle whether Anna was drooping her eyes out of sorrow from the unexpectedly provoked memories or if she was just dozing off again. Anna kept her eyes trained on her lap. She was feeling a mix of both, but she remained silent.

He began once more, "But what I'm doing now is trying to protect you. I'm not going to let _that_ happen again, so just be careful, okay? You're all I have left from that place and I'm not going to lose you to any weirdo guys, or even to an," his voice took on a more flippant tone, "I'll admit it, strangely attractive girl." The entire mood in the car suddenly shifted. "I don't blame you actually," he added.

Anna's eyes slowly widened as she turned to face him, motioning to speak before swallowing her tongue, confused.

"What," The boy sitting next to her leered at her knowingly, "I know you were thinking it too back at Percy's." Oh god he knew. This conversation was totally not happening.

"You have to admit she's pretty ho—"

_No! Nope! Nuh uh! _

She slammed her hands over the blonde's donut sized mouth, keeping him from prying any further into something she wasn't all too ready to dive into herself. "—cool! A cool friend!" Anna exclaimed. He peeled her hands away effortlessly, "That girl who sat next to you in gym class every day throughout middle school must have been really _cool_ too," he quipped.

Her face shone as brightly as a tomato, and now more than ever she hated her tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve. "Just because I'm actually getting along with someone who's a girl for once… that doesn't automatically mean, that!" Kristoff perked an eyebrow, grin widening. He was loving this.

She could practically feel what he was thinking.

'_Oh, well then why aren't you friends with any of the other nice girls in our school? Why is it just her, Anna? Why is she, some random girl who I squashed senseless under my big butt, the only other girl you've shown interest in getting to know for years?_'

_Good question, imaginary sound of Kristoff's voice. I'm not so sure of the answer to that, either!  
_

She was quick to notice the lights on the porch turn on, meaning only one thing: someone was staying awake waiting for her. No one else in the house would be worrying about her other than Gerda, and suddenly, as if a bald eagle had perched itself upon the household she saw her new found liberation. Unlocking the car doors, she swung hers open in an almost _too_ eager to escape way before bolting inside to the comfort the old maid. The stubborn woman was probably worrying herself to the grave at this very instant. "You're welcome for the ride!" Kristoff shouted from his window.

He yelled something else along the lines of 'try charging your phone for once' before she was inside, relaxing her body against the back of the door in the familiar living room. Some people never change and Kristoff was the prime example of such. The big oaf had always been this way, helping her like a friend but relentlessly teasing her like a brother. Anna felt ashamed, but she just wasn't ready for that kind of conversation.

As predicted, Gerda almost fell down the stairs at the sight of the bundle of red hair standing in the living room. Desperately lunging down as many steps as her shaky old legs would allow, she scolded the breathless girl before pulling her into a warm embrace. "You're in a whirl pool of trouble young lady, you had me worried sick!"

"Happy to see you too Gerda," Anna teased.

Soon Anna was bundled up like a cocoon inside the blankets Gerda had readily brought for her. There was no way she could tiptoe quietly enough up the creaky stairwell without waking the entire household, so she opted for the couch.

_What a day,_ Anna sighed, sinking into the cushions of the sofa.

Her mind began ruminating over thoughts that were dragged out from the back of her head during the events of this particular evening.

Kristoff and her had grown up together, both orphans. Although adopted into different families, they were raised within the same area. She was thankful for this miracle of course, Kristoff meant the world her, but it pained her to remember that most pairs like them weren't so lucky.

_Just how many friends did we lose back then, _she wondered. Nearly all of the children who went missing from the orphanage were never found, fated to be just another face pinned to a post board inside of a grocery store. Kristoff watching the news made sense, keeping an eye out for any familiar faces. His worry for her felt gratifying when she really thought about it, even if it meant having to sit through his prolonged speeches. To Anna, they were just another secret way of him saying 'Hey dude, I care about you way too much! So please don't disappear like your sister did.' And Anna's thoughts skidded to a clean stop.

_Ah. _

She hadn't thought about that in a while.

She pulled the covers over her head as if it would protect her from the intruding thoughts, but to no prevail. Anna lost her sister while in the orphanage, now Kristoff didn't want to lose her, too.

* * *

**I apologize for the slow update, I've been busy lately with serious grown up-like things.**

**Y'know, like playing Harvest Moon!**


End file.
